US media: Apple VR helmet release will help competitors accelerate research and development

On June 4th, according to multiple foreign media reports, Apple will announce the launch of its first virtual reality (VR) helmet at the World Developers Conference (WWDC2023) held on June 6th Beijing time, causing its competitors to go crazy. Prior to this, Meta released MetaQuest3 on Thursday, and Lenovo released the latest ThinkRealityVRX helmet

On June 4th, according to multiple foreign media reports, Apple will announce the launch of its first virtual reality (VR) helmet at the World Developers Conference (WWDC2023) held on June 6th Beijing time, causing its competitors to go crazy. Prior to this, Meta released MetaQuest3 on Thursday, and Lenovo released the latest ThinkRealityVRX helmet. Suddenly, a market that strives to attract a wide audience gained more attention.

As Apple enters the field of virtual reality, both sales of such hardware and general interest in VR dreams are weakening. Companies such as Meta have invested heavily in this idea before. Apple has always maintained a distance from the so-called metaverse, but there has always been strong interest in the company's VR and augmented reality (AR) programs. Now, Apple may not overshadow its competitors' products, but will support their ideas and bring more applications to this technology.

George Jijiashvili, Chief Analyst of Omdia, a technology research and consulting firm, said, "This will prove that VR/AR will truly become the next chapter in technology and a major way for us to interact and consume with technology. If Apple can truly make such devices more attractive and have truly useful applications and features, then it will become the product that everyone wants

But so far, the VR/AR industry is struggling. According to data from market intelligence company IDC, the VR and AR helmet markets have decreased by 54% from early 2022 to the present in 2023. According to reports, more than half of those who purchase Meta helmets have stopped using such devices within six months of purchase.

However, the debut of Apple's helmet may actually help its competitors rebound from lows. Jitesh Urbani, the research manager of IDC, said that the company's statement "has attracted great attention from the market". This helps to awaken users, and this is also what Apple does very well.

Apple has always been known for bringing non novel hardware to the market, and these hardware ultimately dominate the market. IPod became the most popular MP3 player, and iPhone replaced BlackBerry. In the niche market, launching VR and AR helmets is a bigger gamble.

Apple once joked that an important statement was about to be released, that the "new era" would start on Monday, and that the opportunity to "encode a new world" might be imminent. The last major hardware product released by Apple was the AppleWatch, which made smartwatches mainstream and currently dominates the market.

Many rumors suggest that Apple is developing a $3000 helmet equipped with a high-end screen, eye and hand tracking functions, and an independent battery pack.

Meta is upgrading its Quest helmet to make it thinner and have twice the processing power of its predecessor. It will be available this autumn for $500. The company will also lower the entry-level price of its old Quest by $100 to $300 this weekend. If the rumored pricing of Apple's helmet is true, then it will not currently become a competitor in the gaming industry and is more likely to attract corporate and developer customers. Lenovo's helmet is located in the middle area, with a starting price of approximately $1300.

Helmets from other competitors vary in purpose and price. AR startup MagicLeap released its second helmet last year, priced at approximately $3300, with a focus on enterprise customers. According to reports, the company is in negotiations with Meta regarding cooperation in the AR field. Sony has launched the PSVR2 this year, priced at $550.

One challenge of VR is to attract attention from people outside the gaming industry, as the high price of an unnecessary device can deter many people. But Omdia's chief analyst, George Jigashvili, said that as Apple's name appears in this field, more application developers may start investing resources to help expand the use of helmets. However, Apple must be able to design a helmet that will not cause too much trouble or discomfort to users.

Apple's helmets may not be attractive to ordinary users unless their price drops significantly and they are proved by Killer application that stand out in the metauniverse. But now is the time for people to turn their attention back to VR and see what other uses it has outside of gaming.

Harmet Singh Walia, a senior analyst at Counter Point Research, a technology research firm, said that the lower price of Meta helmets should temporarily keep it dominant in the market. Even though the Apple helmet can leave a deep impression, it is still out of reach and cannot cause a sensation overnight. Valia also said, "I'm looking forward to something special about the Apple helmet, but it won't be the iPhone moment